Machine for applying binding clips



Jan. 10, 1956 1. SPINNER 2,

MACHINE FOR APPLYING BINDING CLIPS Filed July 24, 1952 F INVEIYTOR. ISLdOIfi gunner United States Patent 2,729,835 MACHINE FOR A PPLYING BINDING CLIPS Isidore Spinner, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 24, 1952, Serial No. 300,607

7 Claims. (Cl. 11--1) This invention relates to a device for applying resilient binder clips for holding together one or more sheets of paper with or without a cover, particularly an apparatus for applying binder clips of the type shown in my pending application Serial No. 282,049, filed April 12, 1952, now abandoned, to which reference may be had.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a simple device which is adapted to receive, in a very convenient manner, the sheets that are to be clipped together and which will hold the sheets in proper aligned position as the resilient clip is to be applied. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a device which will easily and quickly spread the resilient binder clip as the same is being moved into position for application to the sheets of paper or the like that are to be clipped together. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device of the above mentioned character wherein the clip that is being moved towards the position of clipping the sheets together is mechanically held spread apart to prevent or substantially reduce any tendency that the clip may have to score the paper as the clip is being slid into position. This result is obtained by providing the machine or fixture with means for maintaining the clip spread as the clip is being shifted towards its final position.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a machine or fixture of the above mentioned character from which it may be readily ascertained when the clip has been advanced to its final position with respect to the papers to be bound. This result is obtained, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, by providing an opening or slot in the machine, into which opening or slot a part of the clip snaps when the clip reaches its final position, thus limiting further sliding movement of the clip and also advising the operator that the final position has been reached.

The attainment of the above and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a flat piece of material from which the device for applying thefastener tube is constructed;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the fastener-applying mechanism constructed from the sheet of material shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device shown in Figure 2 supporting the sheets of material to be bound and receiving the fastener tube;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 3, showing how the lip of the fastener-applying mechanism parts the separable portions of the fastener tube; and

Figures 5 and 6 are plan views showing two alternate blanks for making clips such as are used in connection with the present machine.

Reference may now be had more particularly to the drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout.

The machine or fixture of the present invention is designated in general by the reference numeral 2 and is provided for applying a tubular fastening clip 4 into position clipping together one or more sheets of paper 3. The fastener or binder clip 4 is of a construction such as shown more particularly in my pending application, Serial No. 282,049, filed April 12, 1952, to which reference may be had. It is sufficient here to state that the binder clip comprises a sheet of resilient material such as, for instance, a resilient thermoplastic, such as Vinylite. This sheet is curled under heat into a tubular form and when so curledretains its tubular form and yet has an appreciable amount of resiliency so that it may be spread, within its elastic limits, and when released spring back, under its natural resiliency, to the tubular form. The tube is thus provided with separable axial edges 5 and 6 extending the length thereof. If two or more sheets of material having a combined thickness greater than the normal distance between the separable edges 5 and 6 are inserted between the separable edges of the clip 4, the layers of material will be fastened or clamped together. Respective tabs 8 and 10 are provided extending from one of the separable edges of the binder clip 4 in the direction of the opposite separable edge which are adapted to extend into openings in the sheets of material 3 to be fastened. In this manner the clip 4 may be locked or latched in place so that it cannot be removed from the fastened material 3 by merely pulling the clip 4 from the fastened material. At least one end of the tube has a cut-away portion 12--12, including the separable edges 5 and 6, to form a guideway or channel for the insertion of an instrument to separate the edges 5 and 6 of the clip when the same is being placed on or removed from the fastened material 3.

It should be apparent that any number of tabs may be used depending upon the particular circumstances.

The overall length of the binder clip 4 depends upon the size and thickness of the material to be fastened. For example, several short lengths of tube could be spaced along one edge of the material to be fastened, or, if desired, one long strip could be placed along substantially the entire edge of the fastened material.

The clip-applying device 2 comprising the instant invention includes a raised platform 13 having upward extending walls 14 and 16 forming a guideway along two adjacent edges thereof to retain the sheets of paper to be fastened in a proper position, as shown in Figure 3. The platform 13 is preferably sized so that it conforms generally to the size and shape of the sheets to be fastened. Thus, when the various sheets of material to be fastened are flush up against the walls 14 and 16, the edge of the material to be fastened extends along the edge 18 of the platform 13. The wall 16 on the edge of the platform adjacent to the edge 18 thereof does not extend to the front edge 18 in order to provide space for a flange or lip 20 extending from the corner of the platform including the edge 18. This lip is adapted to slide into one end of the fastener tube-forming clip 4 along the cut-away channel portion 12-12 thereof, as will be hereinafter explained.

The edge 18 of the platform 13 is free to receive the clip 4 in a manner to be described. The adjacent edge 19 of the platform 13 is preferably free of any wall members for reasons which will be explained. H

The platform 13 is provided with a slot or opening 22 into which the tab 8 of the clip 4 snaps when the clip reaches its final position. In this position the operator of the device is advised that the clip 4 has reached its proper position relative to the sheets of material to be fastened. Although the tabs on the clip 4 are pret- Patented J an. 10, 1956 erably adapted to extend into openings in the sheets to be fastened to latch the clip in place, where desired, the tab 8 need only be made of a length to extend into slot 22. The clamping action of the clip 4 would still hold the sheets of material 3 together. In such case, of course, the holes in the sheets to be fastened would be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, openings 24 and 32 are punched or otherwise made in the sheets of material 3 to be fastened to receive tabs 8 and 10, respectively, and are located so that the hole 24 furthest from lip 20 overlies slot 22 in platform 13. The fastener clip 4 is thus latched securely in place about the sheets of material to be fastened.

To prevent the necessity of sliding clip 4 over the sheets of material 3 with the separable edges -6 thereof biting into the surface thereof and hence scarring or scratching same, the slot 22 (and the openings 24 and 32) are positioned so that lip 20 of the clip-applying device 2 remains Within the tube forming clip 4 to separate edges 56 thereof until the clip is almost in its final position with tab 8 opposite slot 22.

A further description of the manner in which the clipapplying device 2 is operated will be described hereinafter following the completion of the description of the clipapplying device 2.

7 face on which the device'rests will not be scarred by any sharp edges thereon.

The fastener-applying device 2 may be inexpensively made from a single sheet of metal 35 or other suitable material shown in Figure 1.

Upstanding wall member 16 is formed by folding portion 36 of sheet 35 up along line L3 and downward extending wall member 30 is formed by folding portion 36 of sheet 35 down along line 14. In a like manner, upstanding wall member 14 is formed by folding portion 38 of sheet 35 up along line L1 while downward extending wall member 28 is formed by folding portion 38 of sheet 35 downward along line L2. Downward extending wall member 26 is formed by folding portion 40 of sheet 35 downward along line L5. Lip 20 is formed by curling portion 42 of sheet 35 up along line L6.

shown in the drawings, holes like 24and 32 are punched r in all of the sheets of material, so that the tabs 8 and of fastener tube 4 will extend substantially all of the way through the sheets 27 to provide a more complete latching of the fastener to the sheets of material 27. If desired, the openings in the sheets of material to be fastened need only extend through one or a few of the sheets of material to be fastened. The tabs of the clip 4 would then, of course, still be latched in place but could not extend all the way through the sheets to .be

fastened.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 3, the right end of the clip 4 is first placed opposite lip portion 20 of the fastener-applying device 2 with the cut-away portion'1212' receiving lip 20. Then, as the clip is pushed to the right, as viewed in Figure 3, lip 20 separates the separable edges 5--6 in a manner shown more clearly in Figure 4. The clip is pushed to the right until the right-hand tab 8 (as would be viewed in Figure 3) slips into the slot 22. It should, be noted that the tab 8 which is to slip into slot 22 should be extending from the edge of clip 4 which is to be beneath theplatform 13, so that it can engage slot 22. Since the distance between tabs 8 and 10 of clip 4 is made equal to the distance between openings 24 and 32 which extend through allof the sheets 3 in the example shown, when tab 8 is in slot 22, tab 10 will extend into opening 32 from beneath the platform 13. Because slot 22 is underlying sheet opening 24, tab 8 will, of course, automatically extend into that opening. When the fastener is in this position, the sheets and the fastener are then pulled away from the fastener-applying device 2.

In the example shown in Figure 3, the size of the sheets of material 3 to be fastened is equal to the size of platform 13. If the size of the sheets 3 were greater than the platform 13 along one dimension, then this longer dimension could extend over the wall-free edge 19. If a second pair of holes were placed on the overlapping section of such sheets the same distance from the adjacent end thereof as holes 24 and 32 are spaced from the left edge of sheets 3, then by reversing the position of the sheets, a second clip like clip 4 can be quickly inserted over the end of the sheets containing said second pair of holes. It should be understood that although the slot 22 is a preferred and advantageous feature of the instant invention, it may be omitted without deviating from the broader aspects of the fastener clip-applying device forming the instant invention.

In Figure 5 there is shown a blank which may be used to form the clip 4 previously described. The blank comprises a fiat sheet of suitable material that may be heated and then curled into tubular form and when so curled and permitted to cool will retain its tubular form and have an appreciable amount of resiliency. One suitable material from which the blank may be made-is a thermoplastic known under the trade name Vinylite. This material is available in sheet form of various thicknesses, from a sheet slightly thicker than the thickness of an ordinary sheet of writing paper to any desired thickness.

The blank sheet, indicated in general by the reference numeral 51, is of a generally rectangular shape from which the corners have been cut away, as indicatedat 1212 on one side and 1212 on the other side. The opposite longitudinal edges 5 and 6 are of the same length and parallel to one another and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the strip. The edge 5 has two short projecting nibs 810 extending therefrom a very short distance, say, of the order of inch more or less. The transverse edges 5252 are each slightly more than half the width of the strip, the difference being taken by the tapered corners 12 and 12,'and each of the edges 52-52 is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the strip. The nibs 8 and 10 are each spaced the same distance from the adjacent transverse edges 52.

The blank 51 is curled to a tubular shape by first applying heat thereto sufficient to soften the plastic but not enough to cause it to become tacky, and then rolling the blank around a preheated round mandrel of a circumference very slightly less than the width of the blank. Thereafter the rolled blank is held in its curled position on the mandrel until it has cooled sufficiently to cause the material to set. It may then be slid lengthwise off of the mandrel and will retain its curled shape. This rolling or curling operation may be performed on any standard, well known machine, one such suitable machine being shown in Patent No. 2,211,744 of August 13, 1940, to which reference may be had. The clip thus formed is a tubular clip with the edges5-6 substantially in contact, or one slightly overlapping the other, and extending lengthwise parallel to the longitudinal axis of the curled clip or tube, and with the nibs 810 of the edge 5 overlapping the edge 6. The material is sufficiently resilient at room temperature that it may be manually uncurled to produce a gap in the tubular body between the edges 5 and 6, and when released will tend to spring back to its curled, tubular position. The beveled edges 1212 and 1212' provide a guideway at each end of the tubular clip, which guideway leads to' the point ofinterse'ction of the edges 1212 so that the clip may be easily guided into position on the machine.

The blank 51 of Figure 6 is substantially the same as the blank of Figure 5, differing therefrom only in that the edge 6', which corresponds to the edge 6 of Figure 5, also has a pair of nibs, indicated at 8 and 10, which are of identically the same shape as are the nibs 8 and 10. The nib 8' is opposite the nib 8 and the nib 10 is opposite the nib 10, so that when the blank is curled to form a tube, the nibs 8 and 10' overlap the edge 5 opposite the nibs 8 and 10. When a clip is formed of the blank shown in Figure 6 and is positioned on a stack of pages, as previously described, having aligned perforations 24 and 32 therethrough, the nibs 8 and 8 pass through the aligned perforations 32, overlapping one another, and the nibs 10 and 10 pass through the aligned perforations 24, those nibs overlapping one another. At the same time the edges 5 and 6' bear against the opposite faces of the stack of pages 3 and exert a resilient pressure thereagainst.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have here shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention. It is, however, to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction here shown, the same being merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. What I consider new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for placing a resilient tube having separable edges, extending the length of said tube which resiliently resist separation, in binding engagement with sheets of material comprising a platform for supporting the sheets of material to be bound, said platform including means for aligning the said sheets of material in place with one edge thereof extending along one edge of said platform, a camming lip on a corner of said platform including said latter platform edge adapted to extend into the end of said tube to part said separable edges of said tube to facilitate bringing the said sheets of material between said separable edges whereby said binder is in position for clamping engagement with said sheets of material, said camming lip being spaced outwardly of said aligning means in a direction lengthwise of said one platform edge so that the edges of the tube are separated before the tube reaches the sheets of material supported on said platform.

2. A device for inserting a clip fastener in place about sheets of material to be bound wherein at least one end sheet has an opening for receiving a tab of a clip fastener, said clip fastener being a tube of resilient material having separable edges extending the length thereof which resiliently resist separation with a tab extending from one of said separable edges for insertion in said sheet opening comprising: a raised platform for supporting said sheets of material in the position to be bound, said platform including means for retaining said sheets in place with one edge thereof extending along one edge of said platform, a slot in said latter edge of said platform underlying the position of the opening in said end sheet to receive said tab, and a lip on one corner of said platform which includes said latter platform edge adapted to enter one end of said tube to part said separable edges thereof to enable bringing said edges into position for clamping engagement with said sheets of material.

3. A device for facilitating binding a plurality of sheets of material to be bound with one of the outer sheets having an opening near one edge thereof, by a resilient binder tube having separable edges extending the length thereof which resiliently resist separation and a tab extending from one of said separable edges, said device including a raised platform having means for retaining said sheets of material in place with said edge containing the opening in the outer sheet extending along one edge of the plat form, a slot in said latter edge of said platform underlying said opening in said sheet, and a lip on one corner of said platform which includes said one edge of said platform adapted to enter one end of said tube to separate same and place said separable edges about said sheets of material and said one platform edge.

4. A device for inserting a tubular fastener having separable edges about sheets of material comprising a platform adapted to support the sheets of material to be bound with one edge thereof extending along one edge of said platform, and a lip on one corner of said platform which includes said one edge thereof, said lip having a cam surface adapted to enter one end of said tube and cam apart said separable edges to facilitate placing same about said sheets of material and said latter platform edge.

5. A device for facilitating binding a plurality of sheets of material to be bound with one of the outer sheets thereof having an opening near one edge thereof, by a resilient tube having separable edges extending the length thereof which resiliently resist separation and a tab extending from one of said separable edges, said device including a raised platform for supporting said sheets of material having means for retaining said sheets of material in place with said edge thereof containing said opening facing to ward and extending along one edge of the platform, said platform having a slot in said latter platform edge overlying the opening in said outer sheet for receiving said tab of said tube, and a lip on the corner of said platform which includes said latter platform edge adapted to enter one end of said tube to separate same and place said separable edges about said sheets of material and said one platform edge.

6. A device for placing a resilient tube having separable edge portions extending the length thereof which resiliently resist separation in clamping engagement with sheets of material to be bound comprising a raised. platform having upstanding wall members on at least two adjacent sides thereof to hold the unbound sheets of material in a neat pile, said platform having a wall-free edge spaced from the other edges thereof a distance such that one edge of said sheets of material will extend along the free edge of said platform, and a camming lip on a corner of said platform including said wall-free edge thereof adapted to enter one end of said tube to separate the separable portions thereof to facilitate placing same about said sheets of material and the bottom of said platform, said camming lip extending upwardly from the platform an amount less than the upward extent of said upstanding wall members.

7. A device for inserting a tubular clip fastener having separable edges about sheets of material, comprising a platform adapted to support the said sheets of material with one edge thereof extending along one edge of said platform, a lip on a corner of said platform including said latter edge thereof adapted to enter one end of said tubular clip fastener to part said separable edges thereof to enable same to be slipped over said sheets of paper, said platform having a slot therein along said one edge of said platform and spaced from said lip a distance such that a tab on said clip will snap therein when said clip has just been moved beyond it whereby the separable edges of said clip fastener will be held apart and be freely movable over said platform edge and said sheets to be supported thereon until same is almost in its final position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,639,821 Vogel Aug. 23, 1927 2,193,991 Treacy Mar. 19, 1940 2,234,045 Emmer Mar. 4, 1941 2,304,630 Emmer Dec. 8, 1942 2,319,316 Gerendas May 18, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 237,533 Great Britain July 30, 1925 282,925 Great Britain Jan. 5, 1928 

